Bill Richardson

NM Governor Bill Richardson Applauds Administration’s Decision Not to Prosecute Licensed Medical Cannabis Patients and Producers

October 19, 2009 -- SANTA FE – Governor Bill Richardson today applauded President Barack Obama and the United States Department of Justice for their policy to not pursue criminal charges against licensed medical cannabis patients and producers.

The Department of Justice sent a memo to United States Attorneys today advising that they should not prosecute licensed patients and producers who are in compliance with state medical cannabis laws.    » read more »

October 17, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today proposed his adjusted plan to deal with the state budget shortfall as lawmakers head into a special budget legislative session. Governor Richardson spent the day laying out his plan to lawmakers and stressing his priorities of saving jobs and making sure education is not harmed by major cuts.

“I have made adjustments to my original budget proposal to reflect our new budget realities. But just like my original plan, this is a fiscally responsible package with minimum cuts to services and one that avoids layoffs and furloughs,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “I have made it very clear to legislators that any cuts to education must be minimal and not affect our classrooms, kids and teachers."    » read more »

October 2, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that two major motion picture projects and a third season of a popular television series are preparing to shoot in New Mexico during the coming months.

“Despite the economy and despite competition from many other states New Mexico’s film industry is still strong,” said Governor Richardson. “We are known around the world for our highly skilled and experienced crew base, our growing base of support businesses and facilities, and of course, our unparalleled locations and climate. Add to that the strong support for the industry from local communities and we are at the top of the list when productions are choosing locations."

The projects are:    » read more »

September 14, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced today that New Mexico’s unemployment rate will qualify the state to extend unemployment payments under both the federal Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) and Extended Benefits (EB) programs.

“The nation is experiencing an increased and continued demand for unemployment insurance benefits and New Mexico is no different,” Governor Richardson said. “With this additional extension, we can offer some relief by helping New Mexico’s unemployed bridge the widening financial gap as they continue to search for work."    » read more »

PNM & EnerNOC agreement part of state’s smart energy management

July 8, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced the State of New Mexico is working to cut energy use during peak demand periods by participating in PNM’s PeakSaver program operated by EnerNOC.

“The State of New Mexico is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to make our energy use smarter and more efficient,” Governor Richardson said. “This partnership will play a key role in our Lead by Example Initiative and will relieve some of the strain on our electric grid during peak energy use periods."

Governor Richardson’s “Lead by Example” Initiative calls for all Executive Branch state agencies to reduce their energy usage by 20% below 2005 levels by 2015.    » read more »

June 18, 2009 -- SANTA FE- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment today announced the approval of an additional $16.1 million worth of local road and transit construction projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 14 projects are located in Bernalillo, Dona Ana, Luna, Curry, Roosevelt, Eddy, Lea, Otero, Sandoval and Valencia counties.    » read more »

New Transparency & Disclosure Policy Among Strongest in the Country; Bans Campaign Contributions from any Parties Seeking Investment

May 26, 2009 -- (Santa Fe) – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and the State Investment Council voted unanimously today to ban any future investments with money managers who employ third-party placement agents, as well as requiring sweeping disclosure of any and all payments made in relation to Permanent Fund investments.

“The ban is the strongest in the nation and appropriately so,” Governor Bill Richardson said.

“With this ban, and the more stringent transparency and disclosure policies in place, I want the public to be confident that we are acting as responsible managers of the state’s Permanent Funds."    » read more »

May 26, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today praised President Barack Obama’s selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the United States Supreme Court.

“The President made an excellent choice in picking Judge Sotomayor, making her the first Hispanic Justice on the US Supreme Court,” said Governor Richardson.

“Her life experience combined with her legal intellect should make Judge Sotomayor an outstanding member of the Court. President Obama should be commended for combining diversity and impeccable legal credentials in his selection."

Source: New Mexico Governor

May 22, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, following a meeting today with advocates for low-income New Mexicans, pledged $2 million to restore most of the money that was planned to be cut from the state’s General Assistance Program. Without the Governor’s intervention, monthly cash payments for the state’s most vulnerable citizens would have been slashed by 36 percent.

“This cash infusion will enable the program to survive the entire budget year and provide a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens who are counting on this monthly cash,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “It will be up to the Legislature to act responsibly during the next session and do its share to fund this program at an acceptable level."    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has signed an executive order lowering flags to half staff in honor and mourning of one of the original Navajo Code Talkers, John Brown Jr., 88, who passed away at his home in Crystal, NM on Wednesday. He will be laid to rest on Tuesday, May 26th.

“New Mexico has lost a treasure – as we face our current struggles and uncertain times ahead, we may take comfort in knowing we had such notable and excellent examples to follow from the Navajo Code Talkers,” said Governor Richardson. “New Mexicans and all Americans owe Mr.

Brown and each of the Code Talkers a debt of gratitude for the sacrifices they made to guarantee the freedom that we enjoy today."    » read more »

State Seeks Applications for State Energy Program and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program

May 20, 2009 -- Santa Fe - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment announce that funding from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be awarded to demonstration energy projects through a Request for Application (RFA) process.    » read more »

New Mexico was an early leader to adopt Clean Car Standards, Federal Efforts Build on State’s

May 19, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson applauded President Obama’s new national fuel efficiency and clean car standards, announced today, that build on regulations New Mexico adopted in 2007. The standards will reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and help combat global warming. It’s estimated the new standards will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 900 million metric tons over the lifetime of the program, equivalent to taking 177 million cars off the road or 194 coal-fired power plants out of commission.    » read more »

Traffic and Pedestrian Light Retrofits with LED Bulbs Will Cut Electric Bills

May 13, 2009 -- Santa Fe, NM – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that $5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been allocated to the State Energy Program to provide traffic and pedestrian light retrofits at intersections throughout the state. Older, incandescent bulbs will be replaced with LED- or light-emitting diode- bulbs, which use significantly less electricity.    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued the following statement today reaffirming his commitment to end the use of gas chambers for animals by June 19, 2009.

“I realize there has been some confusion about the effective date for the new law banning the use of gas chambers for euthanizing animals,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “Let me be clear: that date is June 19, 2009. That is the clear intent of the bills I signed into law, and it is the desire of the people of New Mexico."    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today agreed to work with the Legislature to commission an independent review of investment practices and policies, including the use of third-party marketers.

The state Board of Finance and the Legislative Council Service will work on the scope of the review, along with an appropriate budget.    » read more »